Kearney's Warehouse, 185-187 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Kearney's Warehouse, 185-187 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 105684 1
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materialsTextual material
Part of:
Series: Central City (BIF-CITY)
Access restrictions:
UnrestrictedOpen access.
Use restrictions:
UnrestrictedPlease contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images.
General notes:
Style: Elizabethan revivalRESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2022:__________________________________________________Period: VictorianDATE: 1891;ASSOCIATIONS: Kearny, James;DESIGNER: Evans, G de Lacey;BUILDER: Besant, Ralph - Lisson Gve Hawthorn..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of SignificanceKearney's Warehouse185-187 Lonsdale StreetHistoryJames Kearney commenced his distinguished civil service career in the Surveyor General's office as a draftsman, in April 1853 at an annual salary of 500 pounds. His plan of Melbourne and suburbs, undertaken in the late 1850s, is well known to historians as a data source and a pictorial success, showing in some locations the most fanciful of town designs (North Melbourne) which unfortunately were never carried to fruition.When he commissioned George de Lacey Evans to design this building early 1891, Kearney served as the rate collector for the now defunct Hotham municipality (North Melbourne). It was described as two three-storey stores and the builder was Ralph Besant.The first occupier of both stores was Charles Beaumont, a clothier, later relinquishing 187 to Alfred Coulson who made furniture. A fancy goods importer, D. Davis followed late in the 1890s. By 1920, George C. George, a tailor, was on the ground level of 185, with another tailor, Abraham Wolman, on the first level and yet another, Simon Harris, on the second. Russell and Rush, electrical engineers were also on the second. More recently it was the National Hellenic Club, indicating like its neighbours the ethnic shift in the city's population.DescriptionAn ornate three-storey brick and cement elevation, in the English Queen Anne manner, which shows Evans' typically highly mannered approach to detail. Divided in two, the elevation has high Elizabethan gabled parapets, with an accumulation of pediments and scrolls at each apex. Beneath is a continuous tall arched motif which is divided off at each storey line with an ornate entablature and string moulds. Central to these two motifs at the second floor line is a scrolled pediment with a cemented panel bearing the date, `A.D. 1891, J.K.'Classical revival ornamentation, in the form of triglyphs and triglyph friezes, is connected with the Medieval elements such as the bartizan at parapet level and foliation in the parapet gable. Ground level divisions are still visible, despite extensive alterations in this area and the side wall elevation (east) is near complete, with an austere face brick wall with segment-arch fenestration.External IntegritySigns added to the upper level, sections of brick work painted, but otherwise generally original. Ground level completely replaced between the piers and the piers themselves refaced and what may have been an original window opening at the north-east corner appears to have been altered. Large sections of the ground-level brick work on the east face painted.StreetscapeThe building relates very closely to its neighbour on the west, given that it shares similar ground-level pier details and a similarly ornate elevation, albeit of four years earlier date.SignificanceAn architecturally significant but altered design which, although speculative, can be associated with both its first owner, Kearney, and the long term occupation of Charles Beaumont, a somewhat lesser known individual. Its later occupation as a Greek social centre is evocative of the still prevailing Greek emphasis in this part of the city. It also is part of a highly mannered commercial streetscape, typical of the two architects involved, de Garis and de Lacey Evans..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites source 76 Lewis, Nigel 1976 Historic and Architectural Survey of the Central City of Melbourne Bourke Street, east, Area 8 of the survey commissioned by the Historic Buildings Preservation Council, Page 14.VICTORIAN HERITAGE INVENTORY1866 - building on site. 1880 - single storey building. 1888 - 1 storey building. 1905 - 3 storey building.2 x 3 storey stores built for James Kearney 1891. First occupier: Charles Beaumont, clothier. Later furniture, fancy goods importer (1890s). By 1920s tailors. By 1930s occupants mostly of Jewish origin. By 1935 occupants mostly of Greek origin. Later became National Hellenic Club..LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX: Record76358 Evans, G development Lacey; Kearny, James Melbourne VIC Warehouses Besant, Ralph - Lisson Gve Hawthorn 1891 05 26 4988-MCC registration no 4988 [Burchett Index]. Fee 5.0.0 two 3-storey stores
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1249944
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 105684 1 | 1 JPEG : 261 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |